Local investors spent millions of dollars on infrastructure improvements on the Oshkosh Festival Grounds ahead of the inaugural XRoads41 Musical Festival. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — After a five year hiatus, the Oshkosh Festival Grounds will once again be rocking.
The 300-acre site, which used to house Country USA and Rock USA, is under new management with plans to bring a different vibe to the venue.
The stage is going up, the grandstands are ready, new VIP areas are being added and the campgrounds are laid out. The Oshkosh Festival Grounds is ready to host the first XRoads41 Musical Festival this week.
“The goal is to do it better than it’s ever been done before. And we’re on track just to do that. The lineup is incredible — 18 acts over the course of three days with the headliners being Old Dominion, Brooks & Dunn and Journey,” said XRoads41 Ambassador Makenna Mae.
For more than two years, a group of local investors have spent time and millions of dollars on improvements to the grounds.
According to XRoads41 Manager John Gourley, “I think people that have been to this site before, at other events, are going to be blown away — both when they enter and when they take a look at the details of the site. It’s going to be impressive.”
Everything from the addition of 20 miles of water drainage tile on the grounds, to state-of-the-art lights and sound systems, will make the the experience different. Organizers are working with planners of events like Stagecoach and Coachella to give XRoads41 that kind of feel.
“It’s our idea of the next generation of musical festivals. We’ve incorporated all those pieces to the puzzle in what you’ll see at XRoads41 this week,” said Gourley.
The reimagined festival is exactly what local tourism officials were hoping for when the grounds come back to life.
“I think it’s really important to let people know this is a new group, it’s a completely new festival and there’s going to be a bunch of new things out there,” added Caitlin MacWilliams with Discover Oshkosh.
Local businesses excited to have a large music festival back in the area, especially with the changes that have been made.
Marty Schibbelhut is owner of Owner of OshVegas. He said, “I like the fact that it’s a three-day event. They did a lot of work on the grounds and it looks really nice, and weather is going to be fantastic, so overall, we’re looking for a great week.”
While improvements to the grounds will be beneficial for festival goers, investors said that they had their eye on the longevity of XRoads41, as well as other events here in the Oshkosh area when planning the event.
“Certainly the commitment and the infrastructure that we put in place will support multiple festivals and we’ll make that decision upcoming. But, without question there will be multiple shows here in the years to come,” added Gourley.
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